WABB is the call sign for both the heritage Top 40 radio station and a news/talk station. Both have been owned by Bernie Dittman since 1959. WABB has been broadcasting at 1480 kHz since June 19, 1948, when it was originally owned by the Mobile Register under call letters meaning "Alabama's Best Broadcasters" and had a country music format at one point. WABB had an FM simulcast from the very beginning, starting with 107.9 MHz and later 102.1 MHz until it was discontinued in the 1950s. WABB 97.5 FM signed on for the first time on February 5, 1973 with the song Stuck Inside of Mobile with the Memphis Blues Again by Bob Dylan. WMOB had ended plans for an FM companion, thus allowing the construction permit to be sold to WABB. WABB-FM was originally a simulcast of its sister station before moving toward the format of album oriented rock. When WABB-FM made the move to its current contemporary hit radio format back in 1984, the AM station continued to play Top-40 music for the time being. But eventually, the economics of AM radio in the United States meant a move away from music and the station adoped a talk radio format.
| Broadcast area | Mobile, Alabama |
|---|---|
| Frequency | 1480 kHz |
| Branding | NewsTalk 1480 WABB |
| Programming | |
| Format | News/Talk |
| Ownership | |
| Owner | Bernie Dittman (WABB-FM, Inc.) |
| History | |
First air date | June 19, 1948 |
Call sign meaning | "Alabama's Best Broadcasters" |
| Technical information | |
| Class | B |
| ERP | 5000 watts |
| Broadcast area | Mobile, Alabama |
|---|---|
| Frequency | 97.5 MHz |
| Branding | 97.5 WABB |
| Programming | |
| Format | Contemporary Hit Radio |
| Ownership | |
| Owner | Bernie Dittman (WABB-FM, Inc.) |
| History | |
First air date | February 5, 1973 |
Call sign meaning | "Alabama's Best Broadcasters" |
| Technical information | |
| Class | B |
| ERP | 100,000 watts |
| Links | |
| Website | www.wabb.com |
WABB serves the Mobile and Gulf Coast areas, while its AM sister station WABB features a line-up of primarily nationally syndicated talk programming. Some of the personalities, past and present on WABB-AM include Ron Fraiser, Kathy Richardson, Daniel Shane McBryde, Neal Boortz, Bill O'Reilly, Clark Howard, Sean Hannity, and Joey Reynolds for the night owls. WABB-AM is also the radio home of Mobile's minor league baseball team the Mobile BayBears. During the local morning talk show, WABB's past is often discussed along with issues facing the Gulf Coast and the world, from WALA-TV meteorologist John Edd Thompson's long relationship with the station to Fraiser's memories of working there as a disc jockey before leaving Mobile at one point. WABB currently broadcasts from midtown Mobile's Springhill Ave.
The current line up on WABB-FM (97.5) is:
5:30AM-10:00AM The Morning Guys: Matt, Jay, and Cherish 10:00AM-3:00PM Mena 3:00PM-7:00PM Jammer 7:00PM-Midnight Jonathan Midnight-5:30AM TJ
The current weekday line up on WABB-AM (1480) is:
6:05AM-9:00AM WABB Morning Show 9:05AM-11:00AM The Neal Boortz Show 11:05AM-1:00PM The Radio Factor with Bill O'Reilly 1:05PM-2:00PM The Clark Howard Show (2nd Hour) 2:05PM-6:00PM The Sean Hannity Show 6:05PM-9:00PM The Laura Ingraham Show 9:05PM-12:00AM The Jerry Doyle Show 12:05AM-4:00AM The Joey Reynolds Show (live) 4:05AM-5:00AM The Joey Reynolds Show (repeat) 5:05AM-5:30AM NBC First Light 5:30AM-6:00AM WALA-TV Newscast (simulcast)